Honeymoon Photography: Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul was by far one of the most memorable cities that we visited. With a population of over 13 million people, the city was bustling with life and energy everywhere we went.

If I could describe the city in one word it would be: Artistic.

We started off in beautiful Old Istanbul and waited in long lines to see a couple mosques. The pictures only begin to speak for just how truly breathtaking the mosques are.

Afterward, we walked around the gorgeous Gülhane Park admiring its beautiful Amazon-like trees.

I also encountered quite the bathroom situation, which consisted of a pee-covered hole in the ground! The worst part was that I had to fork over 1 Euro to use a pee-covered hole in the ground. It was obviously picture worthy. It’s like I knew I would be a blogger some day and be able to share it with you all. ;) The picture will explain everything, although you might not want to look at the picture if you’re eating…

After our visit through Old Istanbul, we crossed the bridge to the modern part of the city and started walking to Istiklal Caddesi avenue which has all the main shopping. After walking just 10 minutes, we quickly realized that it probably wasn’t the best place to be walking alone.

A car pulled up ahead of us and a woman jumped out of the car screaming in terror while running down the street as the car sped off.

Needless to say, we hopped into a cab deeming it the safest method of travel. Once we arrived at the shopping district, the streets were flooded with people and we felt much more at ease. We had a fun time popping in and out of stores, finally grabbing a bite to eat of Turkish cuisine. I had this amazing Bulgur and Red Lentil Köfte that I’ve been meaning to make at home for ages now! Maybe I will have to recreate it soon. :)

The unique artistry, vivid contrast of old and new, and historic architecture made this one of our favourite cities to visit and photograph.

Wow Ange, what an interesting city! My sister has been to Turkey (on a school drama trip when we lived in the Middle East) but I haven’t been yet. That is some crazy looking graffiti! And I had to laugh about the pee-hole-in-the-ground thing. That was something I also had to get used to when I lived in Bahrain, but thankfully there they don’t make you pay to use them!! Hope you’re having a fantastic weekend! :)

haha….my husband is Turkish, and we spent some time there this past summer. I ran in to the same problem with the toilets….only I was no able to quickly get over my fear of using them. It took me two weeks before I was able to use a public bathroom….needless to say I got quite dehydrated during our trip because I would only drink at night :)

i was in istanbul for a week, which was part of my two month european study abroad for my architecture school this summer!!! i love seeing your photos because they are the same ones i took while there :] my favorite part: definitely the cats. oh, the cats!

I read your post every time and I think that you and Eric have planned the most amazing honeymoon I have ever seen.

Maybe parts of Turkey are a little too uncivilized for some tourists but, trust me, you were lucky with this toilet. There are much worse versions of the hole in the ground just a few hundred km away. The good thing about the hole compared to the normal toilet is that it is easy not to touch it :D .

Wow, that looks absolutely stunning!! I used to think I’d want to go on a tropical vacation for my honeymoon, but now I’ve been thinking that a trip abroad that involves exploring different countries would be awesome! Of course, I have to engaged before all of this can happen haha.

When I lived in Greece I really wanted to go to Istanbul because all my friends said it was amazing. I wanted to visit the Blue Mosque and the Agia Sophia as well as Turkish bath houses and a genuine hookah bar. Turkish toilets are pretty common in Europe, especially in the south of France.

I remember living in Turkey!!!! I actually had a friend there. She was my best friend. But then our families moved. Then, after 11 years, I found her again! She was actually living in the same city I was again! :D We are now the best of friends EVER! :D

Once, on a train between Germany and Amsterdam, I learned the icky way that the toilets “flush” (translation: open a gigantic hole in the bottom of the toilet bowl) right onto the tracks. Seems so unsanitary. I wonder if the workers have to wear hazmat suits when doing any maintenance on the tracks. Gross. Did you have trouble with the hole in the ground?

The pee hole actually doesn’t look so bad. There was one particular “bathroom” in Venice that really had me stumped. “Are my quads strong enough? There’s no way I’m touching that wall to balance.” It was an interesting experience.

Hoping to get there at some point. We live in Japan now so when I had to Europe I have noticed that Turkish Airlines is cheaper than some others, so I am thinking I may get a chance if I add a few days in as a layover. Turkey was on our list of bases to move to, but it was in the south, not near Istanbul, and for personal reasons I just didn’t feel comfortable with this choice. That’s ok, we ended up in Japan. Been here almost a month now.

Turkey is such a great place to travel. I went there last year and LOVED it. The people are so friendly, it is safe and super cheap! The food is great, too! It is so varied once you leave Istanbul – more roman ruins than Italy, gorgeous hiking (Lycian Way is 500km long!), breathtaking coast lines and if you head in-land to Cappadocia, stunning fairy chimneys – you’d think you had died and gone to heaven. Glad you enjoyed your trip. :)

I am ashamed to say that despite living in Europe, I have never been to Turkey let alone Istanbul but feel the need to after seeing your pics. The historical part reminds me of Malta where I got married :-)

Beautiful pictures! My husband and I have recently decided to go vegan after doing much research. I have been trying all of your recipes so thank you! What is your go-to meal when you’re out at a restaurant with friends… a restaurant that isn’t particularly known for vegan options? Just looking for suggestions to help with our transition!

Hey Emma! Congrats on your recent vegan transition. :)
Restaurants are a tough one and I’ve had my share of horrible meals over the past couple years. The restaurants around me are not vegan friendly so I don’t go out to eat too much, unless we make the drive to another city. A lot of chefs say they can make a vegan meal no problem, but then when you arrive they offer a salad or stir-fry, which in my experience, has been very weak. Sometimes I call ahead to see what they can offer me.
A vegan friendly restaurant is a real treat though and I usually have a tough time deciding on what to order.

Gorgeous pics. I spent a summer living in Istnabul with a Turkish family in high school and the city (and entire experience) left such a mark on me. The sounds, the smells, the people. It was such an amazing time. What part of the city did you stay in? I was so lucky to run around both sides of the city. Gorgeous! Seeing your pics reminded me of it – and how I can’t wait for my daughter to be a tad older before planning a trip there.

Hi Angela, Love your blog always interested to see what you will write about next :) I put a link to a good Mercimek Kofte recipe below. You should try Kisir as well I think you’ll really love it. Turks have so many really delicious vegetarian recipes – I especially love olive oil beans and dolmas mmmm making me hungry now! Afiyet Olsun!
http://almostturkish.blogspot.com/2009/10/red-lentil-kofte-mercimek-koftesi.html

These pictures are great! As silly as it sounds – I am still afraid of my dslr canon even though I got it over a year ago! I am heading to Europe on Sunday for two weeks – any tips for traveling with a camera? Anything would be appreciated!

@Melissa, also Borek (the phyllo pastry layered appetizer with spinach/feta and potato/feta) is a really good vegetarian turkish food. I should write the recipe with the proper north american ingredients sometime lol. afiyet olsun!

I absolutely love Turkey, your photos are amazing! I have been 7 times in total, twice this year. I have stayed in Kusadasi, Olu Deniz, but my favourite area is Fethiye. It does help that I live in the UK and it is only a 4 hour flight!

It is really nice to see the city that I live is here at your blog. As I can see it seems that you liked Istanbul. It makes me proud. Thanks for your positive post and comments. I definitely recommend Turkey as a a destination. Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Bodrum, Konya (city of dervishes), Urfa, Gaziantep are some cities I can mention. Anatolia (name given for Asia Minor) is culturally the richest part of the world. Worth to see :)

greetings from a beautifully snowy edmonton day. i was perusing your site for some millet recipes, and somehow i stumbled upon this entry. i am originally from istanbul and it made me smile to think that you have been there and that you are–i assume–pretty acquainted with the turkish cuisine. so i thought i’d let you know that i am totally combining your kind of recipes with my olive-oily mediterranean kind. :) and the outcome is always deliciousness. so sending you my regards and thanks.

cheers and warmth,
yas.

p.s. this past summer i made the carrot, apple, ginger soup for my parents while i was visiting them at the aegean coast. must say: total win. they loved it.